Belgian-Style Dubbel - Choc Beer Co. / Pete's Place

soonergeddon

Oklahoma

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Excelent variation of a Belgian-Dubbel. Poured a good head with a good dark amber, almost Burbon color. This beer had a plesant aroma, tasted well and left with little bitter after tase. Highly recomended, excelent progress on the part of Oklahoma based Choc brewery!

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 02:21:39 | More by soonergeddon

jrallen34

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

OK tick. Some interesting very recent reviews...Pours a reddish copper with a decent light tan head, good retention, ok lacing...The aroma is amazingly skunky for a dubbel, really sweet and malty, cherries and plums but the skunk is the backbone. Too sweet for me without balance....The taste has a weird syrupy cherry texture and taste, like a sweeter cherry cough syrup. Despite that sounding like a semi good thing, in reality just tastes weird and borderline bad.

I pretty bad dubbel I can't recommend unless your ticking OK.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 00:29:06 | More by jrallen34

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #38 (Mar 2010):

Dark russet clarity still shines in the light, and a fading head holds on for a long time. Green plantains, golden raisins, brown bread and a hint of Band-Aid in the nose. Smooth with a big crisp snappiness in the medium body. Starts off with a dry, roasty, toasty maltiness; fruitiness ranges from burnt raisins to baked apples. Light hopping is there just to balance. Alcohol is present with a slight warmth. Light on the medicinal phenols; nutty yeast, similar to walnuts. Hints of cocoa powder and toasted bread in the semi-dry finish.

Dry and drinkable, yet semi-complex and a dry-ish malt bomb. Nice for a change to have a Dubbel that does not rely on that typical sweet alcoholic combo; it rivals its Belgian counterparts.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 02:03:19 | More by BeerAdvocate

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Upon opening, the beer gushed out of the top of the bottle. Luckily, it turns out the beer was just overcarbonated and not infected.

The beer pours a hazy brown color with a tan head. The aroma is a mix of alcohol, toffee and raisins. The flavor is very heavy on the dark fruit - specifically raisins. I also get some apples, Belgian candi sugar, toffee and alcohol. Medium mouthfeel and medium to high carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 03:01:30 | More by Mora2000

allengarvin

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Duvel glass. It's a murky brown color with a modest off-white head topping it. The nose is quite phenolic, with some underlying fruitiness. This is a fairly sweet Dubbel, with no detectable hop flavors. Light caramel malt with a spicy yeast overtone. Nice full body.

A well-crafted dubbel.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 02:57:31 | More by allengarvin

Ambiorix

Kentucky

3.03/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Dark brown pour, with a foamy tan head that faded all too quickly.

S: Fruity, estery, sweet, bready malt, cherry.

T: Thin, estery, bready malt, cherry. A little stale tasting, not in a good way--cardboard, slightly metallic.

M: Thin, undercarbonated for the style. A little too sweet.

D: Pretty average overall. Too thin, not carbonated enough, lacks the character I expect in a Dubbel. For this to have gold-medaled, it must have been a bad year for Dubbels.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2010 15:57:30 | More by Ambiorix

womencantsail

California

3.3/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks for yet another Oklahoma tick, Bobby.

A: The pour is a muddled brown color and an off-white head without much, if any, retention.

S: This one smells like carbon-dioxide, sweet malts, and a bit of toffee. Also fairly oxidized, too, with quite a bit of cardboard aroma, too. Some mild fruits, such as raisins and apples, too.

T: Bread, toffee, and mildly sweet caramel provide the maltiness and sweetness to the beer. Again, a fair amount of oxidation gives this one some cardboard. A mild spice character, which could be added or perhaps yeast esters.

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: I've liked the majority of beers that I've had from these guys, but this one was a miss. Oh well, you can't win them all.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 07:19:29 | More by womencantsail

GeezLynn

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle received in a trade with Coldmeat. Poured into a Koningshoeven chalice.

A: Cherry wood brown with a tan foam collar.

S: Very bright and fruity yeast aromas. Grape and banana in particular are apparent along with a touch of caramel malt. Smells like it should be pretty sweet.

T: Starts slightly sweet with raisin, apple and bready flavors, followed with a little spice. Finishes a little short and on the dry side.

M: Medium-bodied with light carbonation resulting in a pretty smooth feel.

This is a little lighter than some of the better known dubbels out there, but is well-done, especially the aroma. Easily the best beer i have had from Choc and would be happy to drink again.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2010 06:47:25 | More by GeezLynn

fragilehearted

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle into my Chimay goblet. Yep, the one w/ the GABF sticker on the front. Why do I have a feeling this is going to put my Texas beers to shame?

A - hazy dark reddish brown. Head goes down pretty quickly, little lacing going on. So far, so good.

S - delicious! Belgian yeast, sweet malts. Really sweet & fruity (raisins, plums, cherries, currants, strawberry, banana). Really, I can't stress how deliciously fruity this aroma is for a dubbel (as compared to like, a fruit ale, which I drink tons of as well).

T - sweet malts again, caramel, a little spice, candied fruits...maybe not quite as intense as the aroma, but then again, didn't expect something overly fruity, since I'm having a dubbel, so appropriate for the style. Very tasty! I don't notice the metallic stuff that some others are mentioning (yay)...I get a fruity aftertaste, mostly cherries.

M - medium-bodied (could have been a bit heavier, but that's SUCH a nitpick), carbonation was fine for me. Really smooth.

D - like whoa. I'm not feeling the 8% at all (do I drink too many quads, or what?) & am having no problem at all putting away this beer while watching the ALCS.

Fantastic dubbel, & out of Oklahoma, who knew? I'm really glad I picked this up. My neighbors to the north should be really proud of this one! I'll definitely be picking this one up again, very happy to have it as an almost-local.

Edit a few months later: I have continued to buy this beer, & it's continued to be great! There's yet another bottle in my fridge at this very moment. Still really impressed such a great brew came from OK!

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2010 02:52:46 | More by fragilehearted

dpnelson1978

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22 oz. bottle into glass tulip.
45°F

$7.99 / ea.

A: Deep copper body topped with a big rocky tan head that dissipates quickly leaving a thin creamy cover.

S: Sweet ripe fruit aromas dominate. Banana, plum, and molasses. Hints of booze throughout. No hop presence to speak of.

T: Boozy ripe banana profile with a sweet malt backbone. Finishes clean with only the slightest cloying or bitter hop flavor.

M: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation. Rounded smoothness throughout with a strong carbonic bite at the end. Finishes dry.

D: Just a tad too sweet for me to drink in volume, but the taste and aroma are interesting, and the mouth is acceptable. Good beer, but one is plenty.

O: Decent selection. I'll be interested in trying more from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 01:12:29 | More by dpnelson1978

whoneeds8

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Westmalle chalice a dark amber with a very thin head. The scent is very strong of grapfruit notes and belgian yeast. The flavor is also strong, a rather nice suprise. Lots of carmeled malted front end. Some of that grapefruit flavor is in there also with some raisin after taste. The mouthfeel is perfect for the style with just the right amount of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2010 22:33:00 | More by whoneeds8

EagleTalon

Arkansas

4.2/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours to a thin off-white head and hazy amber-red color. Aroma is complex, fruity and spicy with caramel, vanilla and fruit notes. Flavor is Belgian all the way with fruity and malty flavors dominating, with some malt sweetness balanced by the hops and the drying effect of the 8% alcohol. Mouthfeel is medium and very effervescent. Overall, this is a very good example of the style, technically flawless and totally above reproach.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 23:58:53 | More by EagleTalon

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.08/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Slides out a well-hazed, dark amber-hued body with a smallish, fine-textured, light khaki head.

Smell: Sweet-scented caramel coating a sensible portion of toasted malts and appropriately adjoined to notes of spice and stewed whole plums.

Taste: Sweet upfront, with malty tastes of toasted bread and caramel. Slight candi sugar accents. Quickly, the flavor turns to plums and raisins with a touch of tartness. Spiciness hinting at nutmeg powder. No real distinct hop character coming through. As it progresses, the fruitiness ratchets up to previous nothches unknown. Remains fairly sweet for the fruity, slightly boozy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium plus carbonation.

Drinkability: When I think of the best an Abbey Dubbel has to offer, I seriously doubt Choc's offering will immediately spring to mind. This one just didn't have the desired body and stayed sweet til the end. Still, it's okay, I guess, and works in a pinch, especially in Oklahoma.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2010 14:58:08 | More by ChainGangGuy

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours an amber-brown color. The head is three inches in height, and recedes quickly into a small cap of lacing. The aroma is of star anise, spice box, dark fruit, and plums. This is a very interesting aroma. The taste is similar to the aroma. The is a lot of nice spice, and enough malt to balance things out without getting cloying. The mouthfeel is medium-full bodied with vigorous carbonation, and a velvety texture. Overall, this is a very fine dubbel.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2010 01:58:18 | More by KarlHungus

eclaycamp

Kansas

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bomber as part of my haul from Midtown in Tulsa. Pours a dark ruby red with minimal bubbly head that quickly fades away. Smells of fruitcake and other spice - nutmeg, clove. Kind of like Christmas in a bottle. Taste is of fruitcake and figs. Slight malt character and sweetness in the finish with some heat from the alcohol. Further sips yield notes of brown sugar and cherry. Needs more malt character to balance out how sweet it is. It's highly carbonated but has a disappoiting body for a beer this tasty. Decent example of a Belgian dubbel, may be a little too sweet for some palates.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 21:56:15 | More by eclaycamp

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.35/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz. bottle tried 26 Jan 2010.

Poured in a 0.4 L Kur Pils snifter. A large lacy fizzy orange tan head fills most of the glass. Well carbonated. Clear burnt umber color. Aromas of grapeskins, ripe bananas, some brown sugar. Tastes of bananas and wheat toast. Some candy sugar. Finish is a bit medicinal and tannic. Aftertaste is warming. Body is on the thin side.

Nice to see Choc expand their offerings.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 04:10:51 | More by htomsirveaux

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle obtained through a trade, adorned with a 2009 GABF gold medal sticker.

Nothing too crazy about this beer, just a (for the most part) well made to style dubbel. Pours a dark mahogany/amber with a retentive bubbly light brown head. Aroma is a sweet, rich toasted blend of malts, fruity esters, yeast and sugars. Flavor is similar to nose, initially sweet with caramel malt, raisin and plum before a slightly more toasted malt and spicy finish. Medium bodied with slightly aggressive sharp carbonation producing a relatively dry, clean finish. Not quite the class of the style, but an excellent American interpretation, I would enjoy having this as a local.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 02:15:43 | More by yourefragile

happilysurly

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a dark red amber. A little more than a finger of head with great retention.

S: Dull sweetness and very malty. Subtle orange peel but otherwise no citrus aroma.

T: Malty and a smack of metallic taste immediately. I did not see that coming and I did not like it.

M: Damn, all I can taste is metal. Its a shame because there was a lot of potential here. Maybe I got a bad batch or something.

D: I won't have this one again. I may not even finish the 22 oz bottle I have here.

Later that night...

Ok, I'm starting to come around a LITTLE BIT. This beer has more to offer than metallic taste, though I still can't get past that flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 23:28:33 | More by happilysurly

armock

New York

3.6/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured an amber color with a tan head that fades quickly to a ring that leaves some lacing

S - Is of sweet caramel malt with some dark fruit scents

T - Follows the nose sweet caramel malt with dark fruit flavors

M - This beer has a medium body with medium carbonation to it

D - This isn't a bad beer but it isn't on the same level as a true Belgian Dubbel it has a good taste thats enjoyable but not as good as an authentic I'd say its still worth a try though

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 16:23:49 | More by armock

nickd717

California

3.73/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bomber via trade thanks to stephens101 on BA. GABF gold medal displayed on the bottle.

Very nice deep ruby-amber color with a nicely formed off-white head and some lacing.

Aroma is very fruity and malty. Red berries, caramel, and lots of phenols. Some Belgian yeast as well.

Flavor is a bit metallic, but otherwise very good and to style. Fruity phenols and esters, caramel malt, and Belgian yeast.

Medium body with fairly lively carbonation.

Pretty drinkable, and solid overall. Well what do you know, a Belgian dubbel from Oklahoma and it's not even half bad. Crazy.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2010 17:31:19 | More by nickd717

champ103

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another beer shared with armock.

A: Pours a reddish/brown color. A two finger beige head forms at first poor, but recedes to a ring in a second. Little lace is left behind.
S: Sweet malt and yeast. Though mostly an odd metallic twang that detracts for me.
T: Sweet malt and yeast. Some caramel and dark fruits. A very light metallic twang again.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Creamy and smooth. Easy to drink. I would have no problems finishing a bomber.

Very solid and worth a try. Though it is not among my favorites of the style or Choc's Signature series.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2010 02:44:59 | More by champ103

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle into chalice, and a big thanks to Lane (Stephens101) for this great local extra!

Pours a very hazy red-brown with a healthy, one finger light-khaki head. Quickly settles down into a smattering of fine bubbles on the top. Nice silky lacing as well.

Nose is quite rich - notes of toffee, cola, caramel, brown sugar, and raisins, with just a bit of spicy alcohol.

Taste matches well - big time dark fruit, bit of spicy brown sugar sweetness, pronounced earthy breadcrusty bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe just a hair on the syrupy side, with a light, tingling carbonation that really works well. Nice and tasty, quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2010 02:34:39 | More by JohnQVegas

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of russpowell. Thanks Russ!

It's always good to see local brews in a box I get. I wish WY had more than the 4 beers from Snake River that are bottled. That's the sum total of all beers bottled in WY. :^(

I pop the cap, get a nice small pop and I see the foam starting to rise slowly towards the opening.

It pours a nice hazy to cloudy dark brownish red with a good finger's worth of foam. I'm checking for lacing and there's a buttload of it. I'm guessing that this is bottle conditioned..

Lots of Dubbel like aromas hit my nosebuds. Bananas, anise, light notes of pepper, nice malt and spice forward with minimal presence of anything bitter. It smells the part.

Good flavours as well. Bananas and anise start things off with an interesting apple like tartness that shines somewhat about mid palate but fades in the finish where it returns to a spicy nature, including light dashes of pepper.

Interesting. Very interesting. Some warmth from the alcohol comes through but isn't abusive. I think I like this puppy's taste but I think I like the smell more by a smidgeon.

The mouthfeel borders on medium for the most part but does become a little watery in the finish. That's not a huge check mark against it.

Drinkability? Despite the required abv for the style, this is certainly easy enough to drink and I find that the more I drink it, the more I like it. Way to go Krebs Brewing!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2010 00:37:03 | More by Bitterbill

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

World class beer, comming right up! The sticker on the bottle boasts, '2009 GABF Gold Medal Winner'. As much flack as those judges take, I think they got this one right.

The pour delivers a russet, mohogany, ruby colored beer with moderate haze. A froathy head forms and never waivers, leaving an ordinate amount of lacing behind. A very appealing look.

Sugary soft and spicy aromas of stone fruits, honey nectar, and a peppery mix blend in a mouth-watering and inviting aroma. Flavors further emphasize the malts with a sugar cookie sweetness with cotton candy softness and meld well with fruits of grapes, figs, dates, plumbs, prunes, raisons, cherries, raspberries, and currants. Spicy white pepper, curraco, corriander, and allspice seem to all be yeast deriven and balance the beer well with the absence of assertive hops. Delicate and honey suckle-like with only gentle hints of alcohols that are dispersed intermittenly.

The beer has a wonderful pace to it and is displayed no better than in the mouthfeel. Sweet to taste up front but the beer fades smoothly and effortlessly into an evaporative whimsical dryness. Like cotton candy, the beer is intensly sweet and characterful up front but then does its vanishing act, leaving only a shaddow of taste in the finish and aftertaste.

This is a wonderful beer and deserves its acclaim. Only strength of flavor and conservative dryness keeps it from rivaling Chimay Red and Rochefort 6. Thanks again BlueOkie!

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2010 04:59:32 | More by BEERchitect

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours up a cloudy brown with a ruby edge and a fingers worth of tan head that settles quickly.

I'm getting a bit of spice and fruit from the yeast in the nose, but not as much as some of the Belgian examples exhibit. There's also some nice dark caramel and toffee character and a little bit of medicinal phenolics and some higher alcohols.

Again, plenty of caramelized sugar character to be found in the taste with some fruity and spicy yeast adding complexity (plums, strawberry, cinnamon and clove). A strong raisin/grape character really carries the beer from start to finish. Mouthfeel is a little syrupy and I would really prefer a little more carbonation to cut the sweetish finish a bit and put it more in line with some of the classics. It also lacks the depth of character that the best in this style exhibit.

Overall, not a bad attempt at the style, but I have to say I don't like this release nearly as much as the first one. Perhaps they rushed it along to capitalize on the 2009 GABF gold medal?

Noted: Rereviewed the same batch a few months later and the carbonation/mouthfeel has really improved with the additional conditioning time. I'll continue to enjoy this beer over the next year as long as it's still around, as I think it will continue to improve.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 20:15:23 | More by bump8628